A Sunday Soul Climb to the Heavens in Tibet

I am always eager to receive articles from guest author Andi Perullo, for her young years she is an old soul and always takes me to places I will never journey to.  Her fascination with Tibet led her on a solo journey of self-discovery and ultimate bliss, which she shares with us in her Sunday Soul.

My fascination with Tibet fermented during my teenage years.  Even though I was raised Catholic, I had a strong pull towards Buddhism.  Thus, after school I would peruse the World Religion section at Barnes & Noble and devour whatever books I could find regarding the Asian religion/philosophy.  Through my readings, I became enchanted with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, who is the current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.  His unconditional compassion for all sentient beings was inspiring and something that I strove to attain in my own life.

Halfway through college education I changed majors from Pre-Med to Comparative Religious Studies.  I strongly believe it was in large part due to my days in the bookstore, which left such an impression on my youthful heart.

It was during a class on the teachings of  Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama that I made a pact with myself to visit Tibet to see the original home of the Dalai Lama, otherwise known as the Potala Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It took me nearly 7 years to make that pilgrimage, but I finally did and it was even better than I had imagined!

As we drove up to the front of the massive monument my heart began to flutter with excitement.  It is always such a powerful experience when one’s dreams are realized and never are words enough to describe the emotions associated with that experience.

A carpet of beauty to the heavens at Potala Palace / photo: Andi Perrullo

The climb to the top of the palace is definitely not for the weary.  To reach it one must walk slopping stone walls that stretch about 13 stories high.  As I ascended, I remembered sitting in my classes dreaming about this place and now that I was actually here it was quite surreal!

Through my travels, I have discovered that usually the most special things require some kind of arduous trek, whether it is emotional, mental, physical or a combination of the three, and this was certainly no exception.  It was about an hour’s climb to the top and it was a beautiful feeling when I came to the last step.

The palace contains over 1,000 rooms with 10,000 shrines and 200,000 statues.  Photography was not allowed inside, so I hope with all of my being that everyone has the opportunity to experience this for themselves one day.  Whether or not Buddhism interests you, this is such a rich part of history.

I wandered throughout the palace for about 2 hours.  The energy inside was so peaceful and when I exited, despite having felt sick all day from the high altitude, I had never felt better in my life.

An overwhelming sense of peace awaits in Tibet / photo: Andi Perrullo

The hike down was much easier and it afforded me a different view of the palace.  The sun began to peak its way from behind the clouds and it illuminated the colorful prayer flags that were found in abundance.  I could not help but think just how many millions of prayers were offered to the Buddha in the very place that I was walking.

As we departed the Potala Palace, I remembered a quote by the Dalai Lama that really resonated with me in that moment: “There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies.  My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.”

If you find yourself in Tibet, solo traveler or in a a group, this is the way to spend your Sunday.  I promise your soul will be touched forever!

Andrea Perullo is a Chinese Medicine Doctor by day, travel addict by night. When she is not treating patients, she is exploring the world or dreaming of the next place to visit. She also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs at My Beautiful Adventures.